Rising Son
by M. Rhae
Summary: What if Gracie Belle had been born a boy, Eric James Taylor Jr. (aka Jimmy)? Would Eric mold his son into the next great football star, or would Tami nurture her son into a thoughtful, compassionate young scholar? A look into Jimmy's life and how he meets the expectations of the great Eric and Tami Taylor. Set in Philly 5 years after the end of season 5.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Friday Night Lights or any correlating elements.**

 **A/N:** Hi everyone! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Friday Night Lights and thought of this idea recently. What would have happened if Eric and Tami had a son instead of another daughter? Once they started their new lives in Philadelphia, how would the little boy grow up and what would he be like? Would he take after his football-coaching father or his admissions/counseling mother? And what kind of _pressure_ would be on him? We saw plenty of that with Julie when she was in high school, so I think there's a lot to say about the Taylors' second child, especially if the child were a boy.

Thanks for reading, and please leave a review and let me know what you think! I will update as soon as I can.

* * *

 **Rising Son**

 **o1.**

 **Thursday, October 8, 2015**

"Jimmy!" Checking his stopwatch, Eric saw that it was already 6:59. He and his son left for school at 7:00 every morning, and like Eric always told his football players, on-time was late. _Five minutes_ to on-time was late. "Son, you better be coming out of your room right now."

To Eric's surprise, though, the boy's bedroom door opened and Tami came out, frowning. "Honey, little Eric isn't feeling very well. I don't think he can go to school today."

"Nah," said Eric, waving his hand at her. Eric James Taylor Jr. was a tough kid. He was the youngest player on his Pee Wee football team, and he wasn't going to give off the impression that he was any less of a player. Also, like his daddy, he wasn't going to let snuffles get the best of him. "He'll be fine."

"No, Eric." Tami's voice was stern, and as Eric tried to crane his neck around her to peer into Jimmy's room, she blocked his view. "We've discussed this already. Jimmy's got a chest infection."

"Yeah, but the doctor gave him some medicine."

"It takes a few days to kick in. And it takes rest."

"But he's tough."

"He's also nine." Her tone was gentle now, and she reached her hand out to brush his cheek softly. "Go on to school now. I'm staying home with him today."

Though Eric eventually agreed and hopped into his truck, a mug of coffee in his hands, he felt that Tami babied their son too much. She always coddled him and encouraged him to express his _feelings_ , and the fact of the matter was that Eric wanted to raise his son up to be a _man._ Eric's mother never coddled him the way Tami coddled Jimmy, and Eric had turned out alright. His mother hadn't done much nurturing at all, to be fair, but still, a little boy didn't _need_ to be fussed over so much. It just wasn't necessary.

Right as he pulled into the Pemberton High School parking lot, Eric's phone rang. _If that's Tami,_ Eric thought, digging into his pocket for his phone, _and she's holwin' about how Jimmy's gotta go see the doctor because his fever is too high or something..._

"Hey, Dad." It was Julie, which was strange since it was early in the morning and she had all afternoon classes. She was just about to finish up her degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Matt had finished his art program at Columbia a year ago, but Julie was working part time at UIC's writing center and taking classes part time while Matt sold his paintings and worked at the local coffee shop. Apparently he was a good barista, whatever the hell _that_ was.

"Hey, honey. What are you doin' up so early?"

"I've gotta cover a shift at the writing center today. One of my coworkers called in sick and I could use the hours."

"Oh. Seems like everyone's getting sick lately." It was early October and, at least in Pennsylvania, the first chills of fall were starting to creep in, making late-night practices crisp and chilly. That had never been a problem back in Texas, where October was still fraught with low eighty-degree days. That was one thing that Eric missed about Dillon and about Texas. Regardless of the fact that he, Tami, and Jimmy had been in Philadelphia for five years, he still wasn't as cold-blooded as those Yankees were.

"Yeah, Mom called and told me about Jimmy. She said he has a really bad cold or something?"

They talked for another ten minutes about Jimmy's _fragile_ health condition before finishing off with plans for Julie and Matt to come out to Philadelphia for Halloween.

"It'll be tight, but I mean, yeah, I guess we could fly over. I'm free on Fridays and Matt can take a day off, so we could spend the three day weekend with you guys." _You guys._ Julie had always refrained from using the term "y'all" and now comfortably spoke with that fast, slurred Midwestern accent, though she still drawled a bit on her Rs, like any true Texan.

"We'll make it work, Jules. Don't worry about it. Your mom and I can help you and Matt out." He and Tami had been doing that a lot lately, with Julie taking her sweet time finishing her degree (in _English Literature_ that he and Tami were _paying for)_ and Matt seeming to be stuck at his minimum-wage job. They were trying, Eric knew, and he fully supported them in all of their endeavors, but he sometimes wondered when they would be able to stand on their own.

"Okay, Dad. I gotta go, but I'll talk to you later. Love you."

"Love you, too, sweetie." Snapping his phone shut, Eric turned off the ignition, grabbed his duffle bag, and sipped his mug of coffee before getting out of the truck, already thinking about what he had to sort out as Athletic Director and what kind of drills he could make his team run at practice.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Hey, sweetheart." Easing the bedroom door open, Tami smiled over at a yawning Jimmy, who clearly just woke up from a nap. His strawberry blond hair was sticking out every which way, much like Eric's, and his hazel eyes (also like Eric's) were squinting sheepishly up at her.

"Hi, Mommy." When Eric wasn't around, Jimmy stilled called Tami "Mommy." It was their sweet little secret, and as Tami walked over to the bed and gazed down at him, she felt her heart completely spill over with love. It was hard for her to be working full-time at Braemore and to practically run her department, but it was moments like these with her son that made every single thing in her life worth it.

"Hi, honey. How are you feelin'?"

"'M okay."

"Yeah?" Moving to sit on the edge of his bed, Tami put a hand on his forehead. It burned up. "You certainly don't feel like you're okay."

"Can I still go to practice today?"

"No. You missed school, so you're missing practice, too."

"But Dad can talk to Coach for me."

"I know he can, but it wouldn't be right for him to do that."

"Why not?"

"Because those are the rules, and you have to follow them just like every other player."

Sometimes it was hard being the Head Coach's son. Jimmy knew that, and he _felt_ it. Even though he wouldn't say anything about it, Tami knew that her son felt pressured. Philadelphia certainly didn't have as big of a football culture as Dillon did, but it _was_ a big city and there _were_ a lot of students, so it was popular enough. As the Head Coach of the Pemberton Pioneers, Eric had plenty of sway as it related to the Pemberton Elementary Pee Wee team. Jimmy didn't really get special treatment for it as much as he got higher expectations, which didn't help his already anxious demeanor.

"You don't have to get so upset, Jimmy." Tami moved her hand to caress his cheek, and he closed his eyes slightly, as if in a trance by her touch.

"I just don't want Dad to get mad at me." The two of them had talked a lot about Jimmy's feelings toward football and toward his father coaching. Though Tami was the Dean of Admissions at Braemore now, she still kept up with her counseling skills, and she still knew how to properly guide young people, especially her son. He had a lot of anxiety for such a young child, and as he had told her before, sometimes he constantly felt like things were spinning out of control and that he was failing at everything. It broke her heart that he felt that way about things, especially about football, and she tried her best to make him feel better.

"He won't get mad at you, darlin'," Tami assured him, now stroking his hair. "Your Daddy loves you and he's so proud of you, no matter how many passes you make or how many people tackle you on the field. We're both proud of you for everything you do."

"I know," the boy sighed, closing his eyes again and letting out a cough. It was almost time for his next dose of medicine, so Tami stood up and headed for the door, hoping that he wasn't going into one of his panics again.

"I'll be right back with your medicine," she told him, eyeing him carefully. He didn't react; he merely continued to lay there, another cough escaping his chest. But as Tami left the room and looked back behind her, she saw Jimmy's eyes back open and trained on the ceiling, a worried, serious expression nestled on his baby face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Friday Night Lights or any correlating elements.**

 **A/N:** Hey! Here's another chapter. I think I glossed over Eric's thoughts and struggles in the first chapter, so hopefully this chapter will provide a better idea of where he's coming from.

Thanks so much for reading, and please share your thoughts about the story!

* * *

 **Rising Son**

 **o2.**

 **Thursday, October 8, 2015 (Continued)**

"Hey, babe." Swinging the door shut behind him, Eric walked in through the dining room and threw his keys down on the table. His gaze searched the living room and then the bustling kitchen. "Where's Jimmy?"

"He's sleeping, Eric," said Tami, bending down to take the casserole out of the oven. Eric went over to her and watched her, his eyes glued to her behind. In their twenty-four years of marriage, he'd never grown bored or dissatisfied with that behind. Everything about Tami was beautiful, of course, but that behind just _did_ something to him. But now wasn't the time to say anything about that.

"Why is he sleeping?" Eric finally asked, switching his stare from her bum to his watch. It was only 8:00. "Isn't it kinda early?" He _had_ to be sick if he was sleeping that early. When Jimmy was younger, Tami and Eric always had a hard time putting him to bed at night. Even now he never seemed sleepy enough by his bedtime of 9 o'clock.

"I told you, hon – he's sick." Tami sounded irritated as she set the casserole dish on the island table, where they ate most of their meals during the week. She took her oven mitt off and grabbed the few pieces of bread out of the toaster oven, adding an extra layer of butter on them before setting them on the island and pulling out the milk carton.

"I've been meaning to talk to you about that, actually," Eric said as he took his seat at the island. He loved his son and he knew that he was frailer than most of the other boys for whatever reason, but some of the boy's behavior was starting to worry him. "I was talkin' to Coach Willis today, and he was sayin' that Jimmy's been acting real strange lately. Said he was taking breaks to _breathe_ or something, like whenever he gets frustrated. Is that... _normal_ for a boy?"

"Well, of course he's doin' that and of course it's normal." Sitting down and pouring herself a glass of wine, Tami paused to look him in the eye. "Jimmy has anxiety, and that's one of his coping mechanisms."

 _Anxiety._ Tami was always rattling off about how Jimmy had anxiety and about how extra _sensitive_ he was. Back in Eric's day, they called crying when feelings got hurt and worrying about the silliest of things _weak,_ but now, apparently they called it _anxiety._ Eric's father certainly never put up with that when Eric was growing up, so Eric supposed that it was just the way he was raised. He didn't put up with that on his own football field, either, but he also hadn't coached boys in Pee Wee for a long time. Was that why he had decided to move up to junior high and varsity ball? Was Eric not understanding enough regarding these matters?

"I know you don't believe that, babe, but it's the truth." Tami's gaze fell, and Eric could tell that she was struggling to keep her voice even. "He's got some problems, but I'm trying to help him through it. I do _not_ want to medicate him, Eric. And I need you to support me on this."

She was right, and Eric agreed with her. Kids these days were getting prescribed things left and right, and Eric didn't approve of it. Daily medication had the possibility of permanently messing with a person's head, and as long as it could be held off, it should be, especially for nine year-olds. Jimmy would _not_ become some drugged-up nut case. He was _tough._ Taylor men were all _tough._

They ate their casserole in silence, Eric scarfing his down and downing two glasses of milk while Tami picked around at hers, barely eating anything. Eric knew she was upset and he knew that he had to say something, but he didn't know what. This was _her_ realm of expertise, and she was already doing her best to handle it. Eric didn't really understand the inner psyche of the human mind like Tami did through her psychology degree, so _she_ was the one to take care of that stuff. And she always did a fine job at it, despite the constant doubts that she had.

"Hey," he eventually said, putting down his fork and reaching over for her hand. She let him take it, looking up at him sadly, and he gave it a squeeze. "Jimmy's gonna be alright. Things will get better. I promise."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

 **Saturday, October 10, 2015**

The Pee Wee football field was a rage of energy as the two teams trotted around the field for their warm-ups, long-sleeved undershirts on and socks rolled up as it was a chilly forty-five degrees. It was three o'clock in the afternoon (per usual for Pee Wee games), and Tami was sitting down next to Eric in the stands, gripping his hand tightly. Jimmy had gone to school on Friday even though he still had a cough, so she was worried about him. What if his cold came back after playing in this weather? What if his infection kept resurging?

"Relax, sweetheart," said Eric, releasing her hand to swing his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. "He's gonna do fine. The team's gonna do fine. From what I saw out there the past ten minutes, the other team is awful. And at this level, it's all about having fun anyway."

That wasn't really what she was worried about, but Tami still smiled. It wasn't worth the extra effort and worry to explain herself. Now that she thought about it, though, that _was_ an interesting statement for Eric to make. At the high school level, football was all about winning, but at the Pee Wee level, it was supposed to be all about the experience. That's what the coaches kept telling the kids, anyway, but sometimes, Tami wasn't so sure about that. Jimmy still came home upset and dwelled over not making enough "winning plays," as they'd call it, and he seemed very much concerned about his team's stats. She wondered if that was just because he was always so hard on himself, but another part wondered if Eric had somehow put that idea into his head.

When the teams started moving toward the center of the field, Tami spotted a white number two and felt her heart lift up with joy.

"That's my boy!" Eric yelled, clapping and whistling as the boys took position, Jimmy starting as quarterback. "Let's go, number two! Yeah!"

After hearing Eric's shouts, Jimmy looked over in their direction. Eric whooped again and Tami waved before blowing a kiss to him, at which he smiled before turning away. She knew how much their support meant to him, and she was so thankful that Pee Wee games were always held on Saturday afternoons, which meant Eric could make them. Not all schedules lined up as perfectly in the non-Dillon football world, but fortunately, this particular event did.

It was a short game because Eric was right – the other team wasn't that good, but Jimmy's team was. They were all kids, though, anywhere from nine to eleven depending on height and weight, and it seemed like they all had a good time. Jimmy had made a couple really impressive passes, to which Eric had shouted "Did you see that? Did you _see_ that? Must have been twenty five yards! That's my _boy!_ ", and Tami had merely clapped, proud of Jimmy for whatever he did on the field.

"That was great, honey!" As Tami and Eric went onto the field after the game, Jimmy came running up to her, wrapping his arms around her waist as she bent down and kissed his head. "You did such a good job, and it looked like you had a lot of fun."

"That sure was one heck of a pass, bucko," Eric added, ruffling Jimmy's hair and patting him on the back. Jimmy turned his head to look over at him, still wrapped in Tami's embrace, and he smiled softly, much like Tami did when she was embarrassed by a compliment.

"Coach, hey, Coach!" From a few feet away, the team's coach came running over to them, slightly out of breath as if he'd been running. "Glad to see you here. What did you think of our offense today?"

This happened a lot, to be honest. With Jimmy still hugging her, Tami shifted him slightly and put an arm around his shoulder. "Let's go sit over here while your daddy talks to Coach." Every time Coach Willis caught Eric on the field, he would pull him aside and get his advice on the team, sharing his reasoning for certain plays and asking what Eric thought of them. Tami and Jimmy would sit down on the bleachers nearby and wait for him, either talking about the game or talking about something Jimmy was learning in school, but today, Jimmy was quiet.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Tami nudged his shoulder. "Are you tired after all those throws? Does your chest still hurt?"

"No," Jimmy answered, staring off into the distance. He was so thoughtful for a nine year-old kid, and sometimes Tami wondered what he could possibly be thinking about so intensely. His lips were pursed slightly and his eyes were narrowed, and it was really quite interesting to watch him think. "It's just... I wonder if Dad thinks I'm good enough to be on Pee Wee when everyone else is bigger than me."

Jimmy was average sized for his age, but on his team, the other players were on the larger end of the Pee Wee cut-off. Jimmy stuck out because he really did look smaller, but he could run almost twice as fast as the rest, and his arm was stronger, too. Eric had told Jimmy this himself on more than one occasion, so why was he worried about not being good enough? Did _Tami_ ever make him feel like he wasn't good enough at anything?

"I know that your daddy is very proud of you." Tami leaned forward and kissed his cheek, and then his nose after it crinkled from his smile. "You don't ever have to worry about that, okay? We're both proud of you no matter how big or tall you are. Now, I think we should get Daddy and then go get some ice cream."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"You gotta stop babying the kid." They were lying in bed, panting slightly after their lovemaking, and Tami was resting her head on his chest.

"What do you mean?" She found that statement absurd. Tami did not _baby_ Jimmy. She showed him affection and she comforted him when he was distressed, but she certainly wouldn't call that _babying_ him. That she was her _job_! She was his _mother!_

"You know exactly what I mean." Eric moved his hand from her shoulder down to her breast, but she pushed it away, suddenly angry.

"No, I don't." She moved away now, her head resting on her pillow. "I do not _baby_ him, Eric." With as tough as Eric could be on the kid at times, _someone_ had to reassure Jimmy how much he was loved and how his life wasn't defined by football.

"Coach Willis told me some of the boys were making fun of Jimmy the other day because he cried after getting hurt and said he needed his _mommy._ " Tami's face flushed slightly, but she didn't say anything. "Tami, does he still call you "Mommy"?"

"That's none of your business." That was practically an answer to him, and after he snorted, she turned around so that she wasn't facing him anymore. "There are many things you wouldn't understand about the bond between a mother and her child, Eric, so I advise you not to get too far in over your head here, sweetheart."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Friday Night Lights or any correlating elements.**

 **A/N:** Hey everyone! Thank you so much for all the reviews so far. I'm glad you like the story! Here's the next installment. I'm currently drafting chapters 4 and 5 as well, so hopefully I'll be able to update soon. Thanks for reading!

* * *

 **Rising Son**

 **o3.**

 **Wednesday, October 14, 2015**

The more Tami thought about it, the more she realized that perhaps she _did_ baby Jimmy too much. He had been back to full health and good to go on Monday morning, but Tami had hovered, checking his temperature three times.

"You sure you're alright, hon?" she had asked, not satisfied with his "uh-huh" and his energetic run around the kitchen. "I mean, you don't feel queasy or anything? Because I can stay home this morning if you need me to, pumpkin."

He didn't need her to stay and she _shouldn't_ want him to need her to stay, but she couldn't help it. Eric had eyed her knowingly as he patted Jimmy's back and ushered him out the door, and Tami had stared at the ground for a long time, thinking it all over. Why did she always get like that? Why did she need to be needed?

Now as she went through her admissions files in her office and looked at the clock, she realized it was 3:00 already and that she wasn't anywhere _near_ finished with her work for the day. On average, Tami scheduled all important work between 8 – 3, so she normally was the one to pick up Jimmy from school, give him a snack, and then take him to practice. He had practice every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 5 to 6:30, and typically she was able to chauffeur him around easily enough. But today was one of those crazy Braemore days, so Eric would have to pick him up and Jimmy would have to sit in on Eric's practice until Tami was able to get there.

It was probably best for Jimmy to see Eric coach more, Tami realized, picking up her phone and dialing Eric's number. Jimmy was worried about not being _good_ enough for his father, so maybe if he watched some practices and got a sense of how Eric truly values hard work more than anything, he would calm down. Hell, maybe they should even make Jimmy sitting in a regular thing.

"Hey," said Tami when Eric answered. "I need you to pick up little Eric today and keep him at practice with you. I'll probably be done around 4 and I'll get him something from McDonald's on the way over. Sound good?"

"Yeah," said Eric, "but, uh, d'ya think you could get me one of their sweet teas?"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Are you ready, champ?" said Eric, pulling back into the Pemberton High School parking lot, Jimmy in tow. "It's time for you to real how _real_ football players play."

Jimmy didn't say anything, and Eric suddenly wished he hadn't said it that way. Tami had expressed her concerns of how Eric might be too tough on Jimmy, and he didn't want to make Jimmy think that what he did on the field didn't count for anything. "What I mean is, uh... It's time for you to see the kind of stuff you're gonna do one day." Was that better? Or did it still denounce what he was already doing? _That_ was why the counseling should really be saved for Tami.

When Eric was a boy, he and his father often had experiences like this, driving out to the football field and throwing around the ball, running drills and the like. Eric's father had played college ball himself (for Texas A&M, in fact), but he decided not to go pro since Eric's mother had gotten pregnant with him shortly before he graduated. Eric knew that his father secretly always regretted that decision and he knew that was why he had so desperately wanted Eric to play for the NFL, but he still didn't appreciate the kind of pressure he had put on Eric all those years. Glancing down at Jimmy, Eric realized that he didn't want to repeat those same mistakes with his own son. It was just sometimes hard to figure out how much was too much.

"I understand," Jimmy answered, and when he looked over at Eric, he was grinning. That was good.

Out on the field, Eric had Jimmy click his stopwatch for him and watch the quarterback's special training. Jimmy watched Hyatt intensely, his eyes taking in every move, and Eric felt a surge of pride. His kid was smart and observant, and that would do well for a quarterback. They always had to be on the lookout for what was coming next, and they had to use their wits to lead the team. Jimmy's Pee Wee coach still moved him around a lot, but the kid really shone as the quarterback. Eric made a note to have a talk with Coach Willis about that.

"Say, Jimbo, d'ya think you wanna join in on this next drill?"

"Really?" Jimmy asked, his finger pausing on the stopwatch.

"Yeah, why not? Hyatt and Marcus, make room for Jimmy. Show him how the drill goes, but don't go easy on him. He's a swell player over there on the Pee Wee field."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"What happened?" Leaving the McDonald's bags on the top of her car, Tami ran over to Jimmy, who was kneeling down on the grass with a wad of tissues shoved against his mouth. He looked so small and feeble compared to the bulky cluster of football players around him, and that made her heart pound even faster. "My poor _baby_! Are you alright?"

"'M fine, Mom." Jimmy grinned, and a little bit of blood trickled down. Eric laughed and cuffed him on the side of the head, but Tami merely looked up at her husband, horrified.

Eric knew by the look in her eyes that he had to explain, _now._ "He was running some drills with my boys and got a little knocked up. That's all."

"What do you mean, _running some drills?"_ Tami rose to stand, advancing on him. "You had him run drills with teenagers? _He's nine years old!"_ She was aware that all the players were staring at her, their eyes wide and their feet shuffling, but she didn't care. This was _not_ acceptable, and Tami should have known better. It was important for Jimmy and Eric to bond over football, but not like this; not with Jimmy getting hurt. _This_ was the reason why Jimmy hardy ever went with Eric.

"Babe," Eric muttered to her, nodding down at Jimmy. His head was bowed and he looked embarrassed. Did Tami embarrass him? Did he feel ashamed of her fretting? She exchanged a glance with Eric, and he took her hand. They'd always been able to communicate with just a look, and the look said it all: _let go._ "He just tripped over his own feet."

"Right," Tami breathed, looking back over at Jimmy and offering him a small smile. He returned it with one that so resembled her own, and she realized that she had to be cooler. Eric was right: she overreacted a lot, and maybe what the boy needed was some space to be, well, a boy. _Damn_ was this hard. "Right. Okay, hon, let's get goin' then. You've got practice soon and you want to, uh... Get ready for it. C'mon."

"Hey!" Eric called as they went back to Tami's car. "What about my sweet tea?"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Are you sure he's okay?" It was late and Eric was already sleeping, but Tami couldn't stop worrying. She nudged him, turning on her side to stare at him, and he let out a groan. "Eric. _Eric._ "

"What, Tami?" he asked, reaching his hand out to touch hers but then letting it fall back down. He hadn't moved his head and his eyes were still closed. "Go back to bed."

"I just worry about him so much," she whispered. She moved closer to him and put her hand on his back.

"It was just a cut lip," Eric mumbled.

"No, hon. I'm worried about his mental health."

"Tami." Eric finally opened his eyes and then drew her in close. Their lips brushed and their breaths mingled as he held her close. "Tami. He's fine. He was fine with me today. He didn't get nervous, he didn't get anxious."

"He didn't?"

"No." He leaned forward and kissed her again, though this time fully. "He didn't. I think everything's going to be fine. I have a good feeling about this."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

 **Wednesday, October 21, 2015**

"Hey, baby girl!" Tami squealed as she answered Julie's call. "I'm so excited to see you in a couple weeks. You have no idea how much I've missed you."

There was a time six or so years ago where Tami never could have imagined her daughter living independently away from her, but that independence had finally come. Even though Tami and Eric hadn't initially been too happy about it, Julie and Matt had married and moved in together in Chicago. Matt had lost his gallery job a few months ago and had recently gotten work as a local barista (Eric _hated_ that word because he didn't know what it meant) and Julie was still finishing up her studies, so Tami and Eric were helping them out a bit financially. It didn't worry Tami, though, because she was confident things would turn around for them. She had faith in her daughter.

"Yeah, I'm excited to see you, too," said Julie, and Tami could tell that she sincerely was. Distance had done their relationship some good, so now every time they saw one another, they burst into tears and hugged each other tight. It reminded Tami of how close they had been when Julie was younger, and it made Tami wonder if Jimmy was going to one day pull away from her only to move back closer.

"Did you hear back from the University of Chicago yet?" Julie would be earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in English (with a minor in art history, probably because of Matt) that coming May, and she was applying to graduate schools to pursue a higher degree. She loved her work at the writing center and had served as a TA for a couple of writing courses, so she saw teaching at the college level something she could feasibly do. And with graduate degrees, they usually came with _assistantships,_ which would at least ease the burden of paying tuition.

"Not yet, but they probably won't get back to me until March. The deadline isn't until January."

"Yes, but sometimes when they get a promising application early, they'll make an exception and offer acceptance anyway. You might have to wait to hear about funding, but they could still admit you."

"Mom, this isn't Braemore, so I don't think you know exactly what you're talking about."

They still butted heads occasionally, like over school and educational things, but Tami could deal with it. As Julie got older, she was finally starting to realize that she wasn't always right, and Tami also was starting to realize that Julie was old enough to make most decisions on her own (though she still wanted to help her with important ones like this, of course). That was one part of being a mother that would never go away.

They talked about graduate school for a few more minutes before Tami bit down on her lip and cleared her throat. "Hey, Jules? I wanna ask you somethin'. Do you think I... _Babied_ you when you were younger?"

It seemed silly when she heard herself say it out loud, but Tami was getting genuinely nervous over the entire thing. She had a complete momma attack out on the field last week, and if that was what she appeared like _all_ the time with Jimmy, that couldn't be good. It was different with Julie because it wasn't weird or overkill for mothers to be so affectionate with daughters, but Tami was still curious.

"Is this about Jimmy?" Julie's voice sounded annoyed. "I know Dad thinks you baby him, Mom, but I'm sure it's not _that_ bad."

"Your father told you I was babying him?"

"Well, not in those words exactly, but I could read between the lines. Just cut him some slack. He's only ever raised a daughter before, and you know he didn't have the best relationship with Grandpa." It was true. Eric's father had been exceptionally hard on him as a child, and though Eric was a kind and soft father with Julie, it was definitely hard on him to figure what kind of father to be for a son.

"So, what you're really trying to say is that I _did_ baby you and that I _do_ baby your brother." Tami was teasing now, but it still upset her a little bit. She'd always had a weak spot when it came to her children, but had she become so soft and mother hen-ish that she was interfering negatively with her son's life? Raising a son was turning out to be a hell of a lot different than raising a daughter. Tami thought she would have her twenty-three years of experience from Julie, but what she was realizing was that perhaps she had to step back and re-evaluate things.

"You're fine, Mom, "Julie laughed. "You were and are the best mother a kid could ever have."

 _Aww._ That was sweet of her to say. Tami knew very well that Julie probably didn't think that was true (after all, the entire Mr. Barnett ordeal _still_ plagued their relationship), but it was nice enough of her to say so anyway.

"Thank you, sweetheart. Everything's good with you, though? Keeping up with your classes and getting down with your tutoring?"

" _God,_ Mom, no one says 'getting down' with anything."

"Alright, then. But everything's good?"

"Yes. Everything is great. I actually gotta get going to class now, though, so I'm gonna let you go. Love you."

"Love you," Tami sighed, a second too late since Julie had already hung up the phone.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Friday Night Lights or any correlating elements.**

 **A/N:** Thanks so much for all the reviews so far! Here's the next chapter. I hope you like it!

* * *

 **Rising Son**

 **o5.**

 **Thursday, October 29, 2015**

"Which gate is she getting off at, hon?"

"Uh, her email said gate 47. Is that left or right?"

"I think it's right because the 20s are over that way. Jimmy? Stay close to me, sweetheart. There are a lot of people here this evening."

Julie and Matt had decided to fly in on Thursday night since Matt managed to get it off and since Julie's night class had been canceled. It was 9:30 and already past Jimmy's bed time, but he didn't seem to mind. His eyes were bright as he peered at his surroundings, though staying very close to Tami's side.

"Hey, there they are!" Coming out of gate 47 with their carry-ons piled up in Matt's arms, Julie and Matt spotted the Taylors and ran over to them, Julie crashing into her mother's arms.

"Hello, sweet angel!" Tami squeezed her daughter tight and rocked her slightly. It'd been nearly 3 months since she'd seen her. Julie hadn't been in Pennsylvania since Jimmy's birthday in August, and to Tami, those 3 months felt like a lifetime. "I've missed you so much!"

"Hey there, little Jimbo." Setting the bags down carefully on a chair, Matt spread his arms open and scooped Jimmy up into a hug. From over Julie's shoulder, Tami watched how Matt ruffled Jimmy's hair and smiled at him, and she felt warmth spread through her. Matt had always been a good brother to Jimmy, and maybe that's just what he needed right now.

"Jules, c'mere." Tami released Julie only for Eric to wrap his arms around her, kissing the top of her head. Matt came over and they embraced, too. "It's great to see y'all again. How was the flight?"

"Oh, it was, you know, _draining_ ," said Julie, rolling her eyes. Matt sighed and shook his head, and Tami smiled at him sympathetically. He wasn't much a flier. His ears always popped and he grew pretty sick. In fact, he looked pretty pale in the bright lighting of the airport.

"Yeah, it was alright," Matt mumbled, grabbing the bags from the chair. "Can we hurry up and get goin', though? I just want to go to bed."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"I'm _so_ hungry," said Julie, opening the fridge and looking it up and down. "Don't you guys have any vegetarian stuff? Or did you completely forget about me and my lifestyle?"

"Oh, no one could ever forget that," said Eric, coming up next to her and grabbing a beer from the center shelf. He remembered the exact moment she had become a vegetarian. Sitting in the kitchen at eight years old, she took one bite of her pulled-pork sandwich, glanced up at Eric and Tami, and declared, "I don't want to eat meat anymore. I'm a vegetarian." Just like that. Maybe it was the texture of the pork or maybe Eric hadn't cooked it long enough, but it had somehow left such an impression on her that she became a vegetarian. "We didn't forget about you, honey. There's some tofu thing on the top right and we have eggs and stuff. And I think your mother bought you some kind of organic yogurt."

Julie was always so full of life. Ever since she was a child, she would always be raving on about something and putting her entire heart and soul into it, and Eric truly admired that. She would simply absorb herself in a book and Tami would find her crying in bed because her favorite character had died, or she would get so involved in a soap opera that she would stand up at scream at the television when they made some kind of grave injustice. That kind of passion was good to have on the football field, and if Eric were to be honest, it was something that Jimmy lacked.

It's not like the kid didn't like football, and it's not like he wasn't any good at it. He enjoyed it and he played well, but there was just something missing. Jimmy had been playing since Eric was first able to fit a football in his hand, but he now wondered if that had been the best way to approach it. He remembered Tami lecturing him about not putting a writing utensil in his right hand and to just let him choose the utensil himself. Could that perhaps also apply to football? Should Eric have let _him_ choose it instead of cramming it in his hands? Was he perhaps not as naturally-inclined as he was well-groomed for it?

"You okay?" Julie was sitting next to Eric at the island now, eating some yogurt. Her eyes stared into his. "You seem worried, and I _know_ Mom is."

"She is?" It hadn't really occurred to Eric that Tami might tell Julie things she wouldn't necessarily tell him. They had a solid, honest marriage and everything, but he sometimes got the impression that Tami downplayed some of her most extreme feelings so that Eric wouldn't have to worry about her.

"Well, yeah," said Julie, "because she's Mom. When has she never _not_ worried about anything?"

"This is true," said Eric, and he laughed. "I guess I'm just second guessing myself about Jimmy and the whole football thing. He's been really anxious and on-edge lately, and I wonder if it's somethin' I did." Julie nodded her head, encouraging him to go on. "I mean, sure, I want him to be quarterback because he's damn _good_ at it. He's got an incredible arm. Also, you know, he's a bit lanky, so I don't know how well he'd fare as a linebacker or anything. I don't want to put any pressure on him, but apparently whatever I do just makes him worry anyway."

"Have you told him all of this?"

"Of course I have." Eric paused. _Did_ he, though? Eric supposed that he never told Jimmy why exactly he wanted him to play quarterback. Maybe he could be clearer on that, and reinforce the fact that there didn't necessarily need to be a lot of pressure.

Julie was silent for a few seconds more as she licked her spoon. "You remember how I always thought Mom was too tough on me, right?"

"Yeah," said Eric, setting down his beer. "Of course." After Tami had Jimmy, her relationship with Julie had changed dramatically. In a lot of ways, she had expected Julie to help her out and be her support system during Eric's absence, and Julie had felt like she had too much responsibility. She had told Eric that back at his Dillon office, but Tami hadn't agreed. She had told Eric that it was time for Julie to rise up and _grow_ up; she had wanted for Julie to become a strong, responsible woman. To Eric, that hadn't sounded too unreasonable, but to a then sixteen year-old girl... Eric could sympathize with Julie. He really could.

"Well, maybe that's how Jimmy feels with you," Julie continued, causing Eric to snap back to their conversation. "I mean, when I was Jimmy's age, I wanted to be just like Mom. I followed her everywhere and got so disappointed if I couldn't do something as well as her. Maybe that's how Jimmy feels with you. He wants to be this big football star like all you and all your players, but he can't just yet, so he's worried about it."

"You weren't worried, though," said Eric, his mind reeling. "You would always pick yourself up by your bootstraps if something didn't work out."

"Yeah, but I'm a different person, Dad." She leaned over to put an arm around his shoulders, resting her head on his shoulder. "Everyone's different, and it's not always gonna be the same with me and Jimmy. It's also a different kind of world now. You have to learn how to adjust to it."

She was right. Damn, Eric was getting parenting advice from his twenty-three year-old daughter. She'd always been perceptive and worked a lot with people at the writing center, but how had she become _this_ perceptive about things like this? How did she suddenly grow up?

"Looks like the Midwest has sharpened you up some," he said softly, moving his head to kiss the top of hers. "Just don't get too smart on me, alright? I still want to be able to knock some sense into you from time to time."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

 **Friday, October 30, 2015**

"You excited to go Trick-or-Treating, Jimmy?" It was around 4:00 and Tami, Matt, and Jimmy were out in the back yard. Eric was still at Pemberton finishing up some last minute plays before the game, and Julie was doing some shopping (with Tami's car, of course). Jimmy didn't have practice today, but it was the big showdown between the Pemberton Pioneers and the George Washington Eagles. As soon as Julie got back, they'd eat a light dinner before making their way over to the field.

"I don't think so," said Jimmy, catching the football and then throwing it back to Matt.

"What you mean?" Tami leaned forward in the patio chair, lowering her book. "I already bought your costume! I thought you were gonna go as the QB1 of the Philadelphia Eagles?" It had _killed_ Eric for Jimmy to support a northeastern team and not a Texas team, but he had finally relented.

"It's kind of lame, Mom," Jimmy explained, not meeting her gaze. "Besides, I just wanna stay home and be with everyone."

That was sweet and Tami truly appreciated how close Jimmy was with Matt and Julie, but she didn't want him missing out on all the fun because of it. He and his classmates _always_ went Trick-or-Treating and Tami and the other moms _always_ had some sparkling cider afterwards. It was part of their tradition in Philadelphia, and she hated for him to give it up like that.

"Well, that's gonna be hard for you to do 'cause _I'm_ gonna be Trick-or-Treating."

"What?" That caught Jimmy off-guard and he dropped the pass, staring at Matt. " _You're_ going Trick-or-Treating?"

"Of course I am," said Matt, "and I _would_ invite you to come with me, but you think it's lame, so..."

That was what Tami loved about Matt. As she gazed at her son and her son-in-law, Tami realized that she wanted Jimmy to grow up to be like Matt. He was such a kind, compassionate young man with such genuine concern for others, and he was definitely the best overall type of role model for Jimmy to have. He accomplished much of what Jimmy wanted to accomplish (starting quarterback, college-educated, in Eric's good graces, etc.), and more importantly, he had a good handle on things, like he always had. Despite all the pressures of taking care of his grandmother, taking care of the house, leading the team to state, and getting good grades, he had generally kept it together.

Tami heard wheels crunching on the pavement, so, standing up, she called for the boys to go back inside and wash up for dinner, which was warming in the oven. As Jimmy ran inside and Matt made to follow him, though, Tami pulled him aside.

"That was really sweet of you to do with the whole Trick-or-Treating thing," she told him, patting his arm gently. "I think he'll probably go."

"Well, I hope so, Mrs. Taylor." Even though Tami had been his mother-in-law for five years now, Matt still always called her "Mrs. Taylor" and called Eric "Coach." It didn't really bother her, but sometimes, she just wished he would feel closer and more comfortable with her, because she really did love him like her own son.

"You know," she went on, "I've actually been wanting to talk to you about Jimmy. Did Julie tell you anything about his anxiety?"

"Yeah, she mentioned it the other day after she got off the phone with you. Is he okay? Like, is he gonna be fine goin' out and stuff?"

"Oh, yes. That's not a problem. It's just..." She paused just then, not really sure what to say. What even _was_ she trying to say? She knew that Matt was a good influence on Jimmy and she knew that they got along, but what did she want from Matt at this point?

"I think you should talk to him," she finally said, looking him in the eye. "He's been feeling a lot of pressure lately regarding football, and I think that you... I feel that, uh..."

"I get it," said Matt, and he smiled. With a rare gesture of affection, he took her hand and squeezed it lightly. "Leave it to me, Mrs. Taylor. I think I have an idea of what he's feelin' and everything."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Friday Night Lights or any correlating elements.**

 **A/N:** Hey there! This is a shorter chapter because I'm trying to focus on where I want to go with this story. I feel like I could talk about so many things in so many ways, so I'm trying to work it all out.

Thanks for reading, and please let me know what you think and perhaps what you would like to read about in the upcoming chapters!

* * *

 **Rising Son**

 **o5.**

 **Friday, October 30, 2015 (Continued)**

"Let's go Pioneers!" Matt's shout burst through the crowd as he, Julie, Tami, and Jimmy stood up in their seats on the 50 yard line. They were all wearing some sort of green and white (Tami and Jimmy wearing actual Pemberton gear whereas Julie and Matt had to make do with the Taylors' various green and white clothes). Eric glanced over at them from the sidelines, grinning as he caught Tami's eye, and she blew him a kiss. She knew how much it meant for him to have his entire family there supporting his team. After all, Tami had been at every single one of his games throughout the entire duration of their relationship, which was quite the accomplishment, if Tami could say so herself.

"Things haven't changed much here, eh?" Julie asked, glancing around at the crowd. "Just the parents of the players and the occasional jock coming out to the games?"

It was true that football wasn't as big of a deal in Pennsylvania as it was in Texas. Back in Dillon, practically the entire town would close down and come out to every single Panther game, whether they had any connections to the players or not. Here, though, the players' relatives attended the games loyally, but that was about as regular as attendance could get. The high school students didn't seem to take as much pride in it, and that, Tami thought, was truly a shame. Football really _did_ build a great sense of community, and if she were the guidance counselor at the school, she would push for a more active student component to the games.

By halftime, the Pioneers were up by fourteen points, and things were looking good since the other team had barely scored their first touchdown back in the first quarter. The Eagles were supposedly a force to be reckoned with, but not with how well the Pioneers were playing. So far, it was a successful rivalry game for Pemberton, and it took Tami back to that night at the East Dillon football field when the Lions had defeated the Panthers. It didn't feel quite as sweet there in Philadelphia, though. Tami didn't think _any_ rivalry could compare to the one back in Dillon.

"Did you see that last play?" Matt was saying to Jimmy, his hands out of his pockets and pointing to the quarterback trotting off the field. "That was just awesome, don't you think?"

"Yeah," Jimmy agreed, his voice sheepish. "That pass was great. I hope I'll be able to do that one day."

At that moment, Tami caught Matt's eye and he dipped his head slightly, turning back to Jimmy. "Well, you shouldn't have to worry about doing exactly what others do 'cause you're great just the way you are. Let's go get some cotton candy from the concession stand, okay?"

Matt had it handled. As the two boys left their seats and wandered over to the concession stand, Tami moved to put her arm around Julie's shoulders, leaning down to kiss the top of her head.

"Why are you so happy?" Julie asked, wrinkling her nose slightly. She had never really been the most affectionate of children, but she accepted Tami's hugs well enough. Jimmy was almost the exact opposite – he flew to Tami every time she walked through the door. It was rather endearing, and Tami dreaded the day when Jimmy would outgrow that.

"I think Matt's a good influence on Jimmy."

"Yeah." Julie's tone was flat, but when Tami looked over at her, she smiled. "I just think you worry too much, Mom. But yes, Matt's a good big brother. Jimmy's gonna be fine."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Alright Jimmy, you ready to watch our Halloween movie?" Matt sank down comfortably into the brown leather sofa, his computer on his lap and Jimmy sitting to his right. Julie cuddled up next to Jimmy as Tami got out the popcorn maker and added all the ingredients.

"It'll be ready in about five minutes, y'all," she called out to them from the kitchen, heating the stove and closing the lid.

"What're they doin'?" Eric came into the kitchen just then, grabbing a beer and staring at the trio on the couch. "Are they watching a DVD on his computer?"

"They are watching a movie on the computer, but they're not using a DVD."

"What do you mean?" Eric turned to stare at her, his brows furrowed. "How can you watch a movie without a DVD?"

"They rented one on Google Play, hon."

"Google Play?" Eric put down his beer and looked absolutely scandalized. "How the hell can Google make plays, Tami?"

"You're hopeless," she sighed, cranking the machine's handle with one hand and moving to flick his arm with the other. "Google Play is an app store where you can buy movies."

"Movies?" Eric repeated, picking up his beer again. " _Any_ kind movie?" She looked up at him then, her eyes twinkling, and he smirked at her. "When Jimmy goes to bed, I think I'm gonna ask Matt to do some Google searching..."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"I don't like this movie," Jimmy said suddenly, turning to hide his face in Julie's shoulder.

"Are you serious?" Matt started to laugh, but after a sharp look from Julie, he changed it into a cough. "Uh, it's Hocus Pocus, Jimmy. This is the best Halloween movie of the 90s."

"If he's scared, don't make him watch it!" Mrs. Taylor came out from around the corner, her eyes soft as they gazed down at Jimmy. "It's already past his bedtime anyway. Are you ready for bed, pumpkin?"

"Hey, uh, Mrs. Taylor?" Standing up from the couch, his blue-green eyes shifting from Mrs. Taylor to Jimmy, Matt cleared his throat. "D'ya think that maybe I could put Jimmy to bed? You know, and talk to him and stuff?"

Mrs. Taylor smiled warmly at Matt before nodding and then taking Matt's empty seat. "Good night, sweetheart," she said, opening her arms. Jimmy hugged her and kissed her on the cheek before leading the way to his room, glancing back at Matt every few seconds.

Matt remembered what it was like to be that young. When he was nine years-old, his dad had been sent out on his first deployment and his grandma wasn't yet as loopy as she had become. They'd had some good times, Matt and his grandma, but all the while, he still longed for some kind of male role model – some kind of male figure to tell him how to do stuff and take him out fishing like all his friends.

Jimmy had that, though. As Matt turned into Jimmy's room and sat down at the edge of his bed, he found himself a little puzzled at the whole thing. Coach Taylor was a great dad. Matt knew that from watching him with Julie and he knew that from personal experience. Their relationship had always been complicated, but Coach had been there for Matt when no one else was. He'd been hard on Matt and had told him to just toughen up and get over things, but he had still been there, unlike most men in Matt's life.

"What did you want to talk about?" Jimmy was sitting up in his bed Indian-style, with his bare feet tucked neatly beneath his sheets. Matt wondered vaguely if Mrs. Taylor normally tucked him in and if he should, too, but more importantly, he wondered what he was going to say to the boy.

"I mean, I think we should just talk about stuff," Matt began. "I bet there are certain things you can't really talk to your folks about, right?" Jimmy's brows furrowed, his hazel eyes staring intently over at Matt, and Matt felt himself grow nervous. What if he didn't want to talk about anything?

"I guess," he finally answered, lowering his head slightly. He was quiet then, looking at Matt expectantly.

"Well, you can talk to me about it, you know." Jimmy smiled, and Matt felt more comfortable about the situation. He'd known Jimmy for his entire life, so there was really nothing to be nervous about. "Let's start with football. Tell me how you feel about it and let's talk about where you wanna go with it."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Friday Night Lights or any correlating elements.**

 **A/N:** I know it's been a while since I've updated this, but I've finally had some time (and inspiration) to write up another chapter. I'm still thinking about where I want this story to go, so please bear with me.

Thanks for reading, and please let me know what you think!

* * *

 **Rising Son**

 **o6.**

 **Friday, October 30, 2015 (Continued)**

"I want to be a quarterback," Jimmy said, raising his head to stare Matt in the eye. "I want to be like you and win a state championship."

If Matt hadn't known better, he would have laughed, thinking it was some sick kind of joke. Everyone who knew anything about Matt's football career knew that he really happened upon it by chance. He only became QB1 because Jason Street got knocked so hard off his feet that he became paralyzed. In all sincerity, Matt had been nothing but second-string, so if Jimmy _really_ wanted to be a hotshot quarterback, he wouldn't look up to _him._

But Matt _did_ know better, and he knew that Jimmy was serious. For whatever reason, Jimmy had this burning ambition to be some kind of star quarterback. Matt could relate in a way since his father had wanted him to be a good football player and Matt had wanted to impress him, but Coach wasn't like Matt's father. Coach encouraged his children (and Matt) to be the best versions of themselves both on _and_ off the field, so it was different.  
"You don't really have to worry about that, Jimbo." Matt moved over to put his hand on the side of the kid's head. He felt so tender in a way that he never felt before. He knew how it felt with Julie and with Grandma, but right there with Jimmy, Matt felt a special sort of gentleness surge through him. "You're gonna be alright, and we're all gonna love you no matter what you do. But if being a quarterback is what you want to do, I'll help you with that. I'm always on your side – one hundred percent."

"Really?" Jimmy's eyes brightened. "You'll help me be the best?"

"I'll help you be _the best that you can be._ " Was he saying it right? Gosh, Matt had no idea what he was doing. " _That's_ what's truly important. You know that, right?"

"Yeah," said Jimmy quickly, "but how can you help me? You live so far away."

"I can show you some game tapes," Matt suggested, "and we can talk on the phone."

"Will you help train me when you come here for holidays?"

"Of course."

"And d'you think you can come and stay with us longer during the summer?"

That was always the biggest battle. Naturally summers were free for Julie, who only worked when the university was in session, but Matt wasn't able to just take time off whenever he wanted. The art gallery job had been stable enough for him to do that, but not Starbucks. He was still working his way up and he was still trying to get back into the art field, so he couldn't really afford to spend weeks (if not months) hanging out in Philly when his opportunities (and rent) were waiting for him back in Chicago.

But staring down at Jimmy, Matt felt his perspective change. It was hard to have family so spread out (with Grandma back in Dillon and the Taylors here in Philly), and Julie was always so sad about it. She never said anything, but Matt could tell. He'd known her long enough to pick up on her feelings, and all Matt knew was that Julie at home with her family was a happier and warmer Julie than the one separated from them in Chicago.

"We'll see," said Matt eventually, forcing a smile. Jimmy grinned back, and Matt felt his worries start to fade a little. "We'll see."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Honey?" They'd been lying in the darkness for about fifteen minutes, but Tami couldn't sleep. The day had been exhilarating, and there was so much on Tami's mind, like always.

"Hmm?" She could tell by the lazy grumble of his voice that he was almost asleep. That usually happened after they made love – he'd roll over and start instantly drifting off to sleep. Tami wondered how he could do that, and a part of her wished that she was as quick to fall asleep, too.

"We need to talk about some things."

"Whasuhmatter?" Eric lifted his head up from the pillow to stare at her through one open eye.

"Oh, nothing's really the _matter_ ," said Tami quickly, moving to put a hand on his face. "I just think we should talk."

"Mmm."

"About, you know, the kids."

"Mhmm."

"Julie and her schooling, Matt and his job, and... Jimmy feeling pressured to be a big football star."

Eric let out another groan, and Tami let out a sigh. She'd tried to have this conversation with him, but it never seemed to be the right time. Eric was either busy prepping for a big game, busy managing one of the high school team's budgets, tinkering with something in the garage – there just never seemed to be a good time. Right before falling asleep wasn't really the best time, either, but when else would they find time to do it? Tami had to _make_ time for it to happen.

"What d'ya wanna say about it?"

"Eric, I need you to take this conversation seriously."

"I am, babe. I am. What d'ya think?"

"Well, over the past couple days I've been watching Matt and Jimmy together, and it seems to me like all Jimmy wants to talk to him about is football."

"And that's... _Bad_?"

"Yes, Eric!" He could be so simple-minded sometimes. "Don't you think that's a bit unhealthy? Don't you think that it's starting to become a _problem_?"

It hadn't really been a problem in past years. Jimmy had gone to the Pee Wee games and had played for fun, but this year, things were different. Tami didn't really know why (was nine that much older than eight?), but it concerned her.

"I mean, what d'ya want me to do?" His tone was cranky, and Tami knew that he just wanted to go back to sleep. He'd probably tell her whatever she wanted to hear just to pacify her, so again, Tami realized that this wasn't the right time. But she wanted him to be aware of this.

"Just think about it," she finally said, leaning down to kiss his nose. "Think about it and think about things he could do instead of football."

" _Instead_?"

"In addition to," Tami corrected, feeling herself sigh. Because nothing, she knew, could _ever_ replace football.

 **Saturday, October 31, 2015**

"Are y'all ready to go Trick-or-Treating?" After telling Jimmy that hewas going to go Trick-or-Treating, Matt couldn't back out. Laughing, Tami pulled out her camera and snapped a picture of her two boys – the Eagles quarterback and the Catholic priest. It was the only costume that Tami could come up with on such short notice, and as Tami snapped a few more pictures, Julie couldn't hold back her giggles anymore.

"Ready for your sermon, _father_?"

"Why'd she call you father?"

"That's what Catholics call their pastors, sweetie," Tami answered Jimmy. "And also, Jules, it's _mass,_ not sermons. Catholics call it mass."

"Catholics are weird," Julie snorted, going over to Matt and pecking him on the cheek. "So are all religions, really."

Julie had always been skeptical of religion. Just six years ago she had told Tami that she didn't want to go to church anymore. After worrying incessantly about it for days, Tami had finally told her that she just want something to hold her daughter when Tami wasn't able to hold her anymore. She didn't know if Matt and Julie went to church in Chicago, so still, Tami was worried. Now it was Matt holding Julie in his arms instead of Tami, but what _else_ was there to ground Julie and make her feel at peace? What else could protect her when things got rough?

"Would'ja look at that," said Eric, coming over to them with a wide grin on his face. Tami took his arm and pinched it slightly as Matt blushed, Julie laughed, and Jimmy merely continued to stare at Tami with wonder.

"But why do they call them 'father'?" They were walking to Kyle Mason's house now, where the gang would get together to go Trick-or-Treating. Kyle was one of Jimmy's classmates and played with him on the Pee Wee league. Jimmy didn't really have many friends, really, but he was very close with the ones he did have.

"Catholics believe that their priests serve as a kind of father figure to them," Tami explained, or at least _tried_ to explain. Her mother had been a self-proclaimed religious expert and taught both Tami and Shelley about all the different sects of Christianity, but Tami admitted that she didn't pay attention to her half of the time. "There's Father the Lord, of course, but they believe that priests are a type of fatherhood, too."

"Why don't we call our pastors father?"

"Well," said Tami, finding these questions harder and harder to answer, "Because we don't feel that it's... _necessary_ to call them father." Should she tell him that there's actually an entire debate amongst Protestants and Catholics criticizing this fact? Should she really get into the entire debate of the different sects of religion in the first place? Tami's mother would, but alas, Tami wasn't her mother.

"Why don't we go to a Catholic church? A lot of my friends are Catholic."

That was a very valid question. Philadelphia was predominantly Catholic as it related to Christianity. The city itself was quite diverse and was home to those identifying with atheism, Islam, Judaism, and probably various other types of religions, but of the Christians, most were Catholic. Texas was a split between Catholics and Protestants of all sorts, so it hadn't really been an issue. But here, it was just _different._

"Because we go to our church and that's the way it is," said Tami somewhat dismissively. This wasn't the time or place to discuss this, and she wanted to make sure that she handled it appropriately. She had failed Julie to a certain extent, and she didn't want to do the same with Jimmy.

"Hey, Kyle!" Running over to Kyle, who sported a Mario costume with his younger brother being Luigi, Jimmy didn't press the issue any further.

"Here you are, Tami." As soon as they entered the door, Kyle's mom handled her a glass of hard cider.

"Thanks, Marcia," Tami said, a twinkle in her eye as she smiled over at the ladies.

"This is gonna be AWESOME!" yelled one of the kids, rallying up the various cries of all the others.

"Indeed it is," Tami agreed, clinking her glass against the others' before taking Eric's hand.

Matt and Julie led the pack of candy-hungry nine year-olds, and Tami couldn't help but feel a soft peace wash over her. She hadn't had all the kids together in such a long time, and she wondered if maybe _that_ was what bothered Jimmy and made him so anxious. Family was important to him like it was to all of them, and he'd had to relocate enough times in his young life to build a sense of instability.

 _Stop trying to counsel the situation._ Tami knew that she was overthinking all of this, so with a sigh, she squeezed Eric's hand and then grabbed her camera, trying to get a few last family shots before Matt and Julie took off again.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Friday Night Lights or any correlating elements.**

 **A/N:** I changed Julie's graduation date from May to December and will be basing my plot around that. Sorry for the last minute change-up!

* * *

 **Rising Son**

 **o7.**

 **Sunday, November 1, 2015**

"Bye, sweetie." Holding Julie tight, Tami rocked her back and forth as they stood there at the airport's entrance. She didn't want to let go. Matt and Julie's visit had been brief, but since they both had strict schedules, they had to head back to Chicago. It'd been a short yet sweet visit, and it made Tami's heart swell since she didn't know when they'd be back in Philadelphia.

Their scheduling setup was very complicated. Grandma Saracen was getting worse and worse and needed around the clock care, so Matt and Julie committed to seeing her for every major holiday, even if it meant not being able to visit Tami and Eric in Phili. Matt felt extremely guilty for leaving his grandma to start his new life with Julie in Chicago, so it was the least he and Julie could do to visit her often and provide some comfort for her.

Even though it was the right things to do, it still hurt, and Tami didn't know if it'd ever get easier.

"You guys are still coming for my graduation, right?" Julie would be graduating in December, which previously felt very far off yet was coming up rather quickly.

"Of course we are!" They hadn't gotten their tickets or made the arrangements yet, but they would. It was a crazy time of year for both Tami and Eric with early decision deadlines at Braemore and the middle of football season at Pemberton, but they'd make it work.

"I really want you to meet my coworkers and to meet some of my professors," Julie gushed, her eyes lighting up. "Dr. Staffard is the one who let me help edit her journal article before she sent it out for publication, and Dr. Metz is the one who set me up with the job at the writing center. I've told them all about you and Braemore, and they really want to meet you!"

"I'm looking forward to meeting them," said Tami, and after another quick squeeze, a couple kisses, and a big hug for Matt, the pair was off, making their way toward security.

"This sucks," Tami moaned as she went over to Eric, leaning her head into the crook of his neck as they made their way back toward their car, Jimmy following in their wake. "I wish they'd be able to stay for more than a few days at a time."

Tami had suggested for Julie to fly out to Philadelphia after graduation with them (on their dime, of course) so that they could have some family time before she and Matt had to head back to Dillon, but Julie said that she'd "think about it." It would be hard to spend time away from Matt, Tami knew, but was it so hard that she'd sacrifice spending time with her own parents? Once Julie started graduate school in the fall (hopefully at the University of Chicago), she'd hardly have any free time, so Tami wanted to squeeze all that she could out of her baby girl while she still could.

"It'll all work out, babe," said Eric softly, kissing the top of her head before holding the door open for her. "You'll see. It'll all fall into place."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

 **Monday, November 9, 2015**

Yawning, Tami made her way into the kitchen, opening the fridge and grabbing a bottle of water. She'd been working on a seemingly unlimited number of admissions files in her study for the past couple of hours. That kind of work came with the early decision season, so she really didn't have a choice. It definitely wasn't a 9-5-leave-your-work-at-work job.

She'd also kept fretting over Julie, which certainly didn't help. She'd pressed about her coming back to Philadelphia with them again, and she'd gotten the same response: "I'll think about it." What was there to even think about? Why didn't she just _do_ it?

Tami saw the TV flickering in the living room, so she figured Eric must have had a lot of work to get done at this late hour, too. His job wasn't one of those punch in, punch out ones either, so he definitely could understand where she was coming from. They both worked so damn _hard._

As she went into the living room and turned on the lamp, however, she saw Jimmy sitting in the armchair, hugging his knees with his eyes glued to the screen. "Jimmy? Honey, what in the world are you doing?"

"Watching game tapes, Mommy." Watching game tapes? His eyes didn't leave the screen (he was _so_ much like Eric that way) and he continued to stare at the TV with engrossed interest. Did he even understand what was happening? Tami wasn't sure. He was smart, she knew, but didn't this _bore_ him?

"Sweetheart, it's midnight and your bedtime was three hours ago. How long have you been out here?"

"Just an hour. I couldn't sleep." His legs squirmed slightly and he cast a sideways glance at her, as if afraid of her reaction. "And Dad stays up and does this stuff."

"Yes, but it's part of your father's job, Jimmy."

"But I play football."

"I know you do, but you don't have to watch game tapes for it."

"Matt watched game tapes when he played."

"He was also in _high school_ and you're in the fourth grade."

"Just leave me alone, Mom." Jimmy moved his body so that he wasn't facing her anymore. "I'll be quiet. I need to get this done."

This didn't make any sense. Jimmy didn't _sass_ Tami like that. She honestly couldn't remember the last time he had said anything like that to her. Julie certainly had given Tami nothing but a hard time, especially after her brother was born, but Tami never encountered the same problems with Jimmy. It was uncharacteristic of him, and she knew that something must have been deeply bothering him for him to be acting this way.

Sighing, she grabbed the remote control and switched the TV off.

"Mom, the quarterback was just getting ready to –"

"I think you'd better come talk to me, darlin'." Tami sat down on the couch and patted the space next to her. His eyes still trained on the now-black screen, Jimmy finally let out a sigh of his own before getting up to join her.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Eric heard _voices._ Groaning, he reached his arm out and felt that Tami still wasn't there. She'd told him she was going to be working late in her study, but he didn't think it'd be _that_ late. He even had hoped they'd be able to fool around tonight. But apparently they weren't going to.

Pushing himself up, Eric saw the red "12:27" blare from the alarm clock. It was already _Monday._ Another week was upon them. As he sat up and rubbed his eyes, though, trying to figure out if he should go get Tami or not, he heard those _voices_ again.

"—it's not the only thing in the world." That was Tami.

"Yeah, but it's so _important."_ That was Jimmy. What was Jimmy doing up at 12:27 on a school night?

"Listen, hon, I just think you need to relax. You shouldn't be worrying about this. You've got school tomorrow, so let's get on to bed."

Just as Eric made it out into the hallway, he heard the shuffling of footsteps. Jimmy's room was down the other hallway, so Eric stood where he was at the edge of the living room and watched Tami lead their son back to his bedroom, her arm around his shoulders.

What had Jimmy been doing up, and what was he worrying about? Jimmy had been playing very well on the football field the past couple weeks. Eric knew that Jimmy had always been extra anxious about football, but since he was doing well and since Eric had started taking him to practice more, things had improved. He was generally more relaxed and perkier, and even Tami thought things were starting to get resolved.

But here it was, 12:30 in the morning, and Jimmy and Tami had been having a heart-to-heart in the middle of the living room. It was normal for a kid to get worked up and not be able to sleep, but it wasn't normal for them to be up worrying about it at 12:30 in the morning. Eric never remembered doing that so young and he was sure Tami didn't either, so that was very disconcerting. Something serious must have happened.

"What the hell was that about?" Eric was waiting for Tami in the living room, and she walked over to him slowly, running her hand through her hair.

"He's just stressed, hon."

"At 12:30 in the morning? Tami, what's wrong with him? I heard that last bit of your conversation." He knew that she didn't want to talk about it, though. Whenever Tami wanted to change the subject, she would look at a point in the distance and absently play with her hands, like she was doing now.

"Can we please just talk about this later? I'm really tired, Eric." She leaned forward and pressed her forehead against his. He could tell that she had a rough day and that she was completely drained. He _hated_ seeing her like that, and he didn't want to make it any worse for her. "I'm just so tired. Let's go to bed."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Tami didn't want to talk about it, but that didn't mean she wouldn't _think_ about it. "I _have_ to be the quarterback, Mommy," Jimmy had told her, his hazel eyes brimming with tears. "That's what Dad wants from me. He puts me in the quarterback drills at his practices. He told Coach Willis to play me there more. And I just want to make him _proud_ of me."

Jimmy was so serious, so determined, and ultimately so _scared._ Why was Jimmy scared of Eric's disapproval? Tami could understand it if Eric had been anything like his father, but he _wasn't._ Eric didn't force Jimmy to do sit ups before every activity and do pushups as punishment, Eric didn't ream Jimmy a new one if he ever dropped the ball or fumbled; Eric didn't constantly tell his son that the only way he could every make him proud would be to get drafted into the NFL.

 _But he's a coach._ Lifting her head up, Tami looked over at her husband. He was a high school football coach for as long as Jimmy could remember, and he was a damn _good_ high school football coach. Jimmy grew up with players popping in and out of the house back in Dillon, and he grew up with his brother-in-law Matt telling him how much Eric had helped him win his state championship. And now, he watched Eric in-action at the football field, and he watched him react both positively and negatively to his players.

Basically, Jimmy had grown up in the shadow of every great football player Eric had ever coached, and in an effort to move from that shadow into the spotlight, Jimmy wanted to become the best quarterback Eric had ever seen.

It all made sense now, but as Tami continued to gaze at her husband, whose chest kept rising and falling gently in his sleep, she didn't know how to tell him. He would ask her what he was doing wrong, but she would only be able to tell him what he was doing right; he would ask her how to change, and she would tell him that there was truly nothing he could do.

What Jimmy needed, Tami knew, was to stop setting himself up for disappointment. What he needed, what he truly and sincerely needed, was to stop playing football and find an activity in which Eric could support him and only him. He needed to do something new and special that couldn't get stolen away from him, and unfortunately, that just couldn't be football.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Friday Night Lights or any correlating elements.**

 **A/N:** Hey! So sorry for the delay. Life has been very busy, but I'm still trying to keep up with my fanfic stories.

Here is chapter 8! Thanks for reading!

* * *

 **Rising Son**

 **o8.**

 **Thursday, December 3, 2015**

Things had finally calmed down at the Taylor household. Tami still had admissions work to do since the regular decision deadline didn't end until February first, but the early admits were already decided, so things were calmer for her. The Pioneers had a less-than-stellar season and (un)fortunately weren't able to advance to the playoffs, so that meant Eric had more time at home now, too.

"Don't be such a grouch, hon!" Tami set down a cup of coffee in front of Eric, pecking him on the lips as she did so.

"Thanks," he mumbled, shaking his head slightly and letting out a yawn.

"Why are you so tired?" she asked, mock concern in her voice. "Up late watching game tape for games that are an entire year away?"

He chuckled slightly and pushed his Pioneers cap lower over his eyes. "Naw. I was just grading those damn history tests last night. Do you know how many of my ninth grade American history students can't distinguish between George Bush Sr. and George Bush Jr?"

"This isn't Texas, sweetheart," Tami sighed, going back to the stove and finishing up the bacon and eggs. Indeed, Philadelphia (at least _their_ part of Philadelphia) had its educational challenges. Pemberton wasn't a bad school, but the caliber of students wasn't quite up to the level that Eric sometimes expected.

 _Thank God he only teaches a couple classes a semester,_ Tami thought, putting the bacon and eggs on a plate and calling for Jimmy to come to the table. _He'd drive him himself crazy if he had more than that._

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Hey, Mom!"

"Hey, sweetie!" Tami was looking over some admission files in her Braemore office, but she set them aside and leaned back in her chair, smiling. This was the fifth time Julie had called her in two days. That was a new record. "How're ya doin'?"

"Great because guess what? I just sent in my last application!"

Julie had been applying very strategically to graduate schools. English was one of the most competitive humanities programs at the graduate level, and she wanted to cast her net wide enough yet still focus on programs that best fit her. She applied, in total, to five schools: the University of Chicago, Illinois State University, Pennsylvania State University, Temple University, and the University of Texas at Austin. They were all well-regarded schools with some being harder to get into than others (Chicago and Penn State with the most difficulty), but Tami had faith in her daughter. She'd be graduating in just a week with a 3.95 GPA, a couple journalistic publications, a few writing center conference presentations, some research experience, and all of the zeal and energy of a freshly-minted college graduate. She could do anything she set her mind to.

"I'm so proud of you, Jules." And she was. Tami had her master's degree in administration, but it came after a long break after her BA in counseling, during which she was taking care of Julie and moving around for Eric's jobs. She'd eventually found a program that she could complete quickly and efficiently enough, but she was no Julie, who was going straight for the kill with the PhD.

"I mean, I probably won't hear back until, like, February, but at least I've done my part, you know?"

"Exactly. Now all you can do is wait."

"And there's even this online forum called the grad café where other people post about their applications and their goals and everything."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. The other posters say I have a really good chance, but, you know, I'm not gonna get _too_ excited."

"That's probably best."

"Mhmm. I mean, I just don't want to get worked up and then get disappointed. It's better to expect the worst."

She was nervous, Tami could tell, and she couldn't blame her. This was a huge deal.

"Well, I gotta go now, but I'll talk to you soon. And I'll see you in a week!"

"Okay, honey. Take care, and please tell Matt hello from me."

"I will. I love you, Mom."

"Love you too, Jules."

There was a pause, and then Julie added: "Thanks for being so supportive of my education. I really appreciate it, and I don't know what I would do without you."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

 **Tuesday, December 8, 2015**

"Are you all set for tomorrow, Jimmy?" Tami walked into his bedroom and sat down on his bed. She'd packed his suitcase a couple days before, but it was up to him to pack his carry on.

"I think so," he said, reaching down and then pulling up his duffle bag. It was a gift from Julie a couple years ago and had the UIC Sparky Dragon pictured on the sides. Jimmy loved it, and it was most appropriate for their trip.

"Let's see what you got." Inside, Jimmy had packed his 3DS, its charger, a few games, a coloring book, some crayons, his toothbrush, and a little bag. "What's this?"

Jimmy's face blushed in its Eric-esque fashion as Tami opened the cloth bag to find money and coins stuffed into it.

"My savings," Jimmy answered, his hazel eyes lowered to the ground.

"Really?" Tami was amused. He was acting so embarrassed and so coy. "And what are you planning on buying in Chicago?"

Jimmy hesitated for a moment before looking up at her. "Do... do you promise not to tell Dad?"

Tami raised her eyebrows, even more piqued by his actions. "Sure, honey."

"I know he doesn't like baseball, but I want to buy a Chicago Cubs jersey because Matt likes the Cubs and he _hates_ the Phillies. And I wanna like the Cubs, too."

Tami didn't know whether to laugh, sigh, or shake her head. She settled on leaning over, kissing him on the forehead, and simply saying, "I love you, sweetheart. I'll buy the jersey for you."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

 **Friday, December 11, 2015**

"Where is she?" Eric was getting impatient as he, Tami, Matt and Jimmy were seated at the UIC Forum. It was a new event facility that was recently built, and Tami had been very impressed by it, murmuring _oohs_ and _ahhs_ when they walked in, grabbing his arm and pointing to the the large UIC banner displayed at the front. She was very into the school spirit thing, and while Eric was when it came to football, he wasn't _quite_ as into it as she was.

"I don't know, babe. We probably won't be able to see her until her name is called." She sounded calm about it, but the camera was clutched tightly in her hand as her eyes scanned the crowd.

"You're so cute, Tami," Eric whispered in her ear, kissing the top of her head. He felt a sudden burst of affection wash over him. Not lust, not desire, not protectiveness, but pure affection. He liked how caring and devoted she was to their children, and he liked how earnest and alert she was there at the ceremony. He just liked everything about her in that moment.

"Thanks, sugar," she replied, and her lips curled into a smile as she kept gazing out at the assembled students – still the ever-vigilant mother looking for her child.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

After a couple of wonderful speeches by the university's president, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and an Illinois state politician, they finally started calling off names, and after what seemed like forever, they finally reached the English department.

"This is it," Tami announced, grabbing her camera and peering down at the now-moving line of students. "Anyone see Julie?"

"She's got gold, red, blue, and purple cords," Matt added, peering down as well.

"There!" Jimmy brushed up against Tami and pointed toward the middle of the line, and sure enough, there was Julie, moving slowly with the line while glancing up occasionally, probably looking for them.

"Oh, there she is!" Tami started waving wildly at her, knowing perfectly well that she probably wouldn't even see them. It didn't matter, though. Jimmy and Matt joined in, and after an elbow nudge, so did Eric. Tami glanced over at him, and she could see the pride and emotion on his face.

"This is it," she said, putting one arm on Eric's back briefly before using both to maneuver the camera. Matt had out his phone, Jimmy had Tami's, and Eric's (the dinosaur phone) remained attached at his hip on its holster. "Our baby girl is graduating college."

"After everything, she's finally doing it," Eric breathed, moving to put his arm around Tami.

She knew what he meant by "after everything." Julie had a rough start with college. After interviewing and applying to schools all over the country, she initially settled on Burleston College in Texas, prized for its liberal arts programs and close student-professor mentoring.

That mentoring, however, got _too_ close – Julie had an affair with her married TA, and the entire ordeal caused her to run home, make all kinds of excuses, refuse to go back, and then finally run to Matt in Chicago, where they got back together and then finally decided to get married.

Julie overcame so much as she applied and was accepted the University of Illinois at Chicago. She took classes through the summer to graduate as soon as possible while working at the writing center, writing for magazines, helping professors with research and academic writing, and so many other things that she never would have done had she stayed at Burleston.

Both Tami and Eric were so proud of the woman Julie had become, so it reduced them both to tears as they watched their daughter walk across that stage, her entire future ahead of her.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Friday Night Lights or any correlating elements.**

* * *

 **Rising Son**

 **o9.**

 **Friday, December 11, 2015**

"The Cubs, huh?" Back at the hotel room, Eric and Tami were sitting on their bed as Jimmy came out from the bathroom, sporting his brand new Chicago Cubs jersey that Tami had bought him the night before.

"Yup."

"Hmm." Eric glanced sideways at Tami, and she merely gave him a smile. That smile could mean _anything_.

"So, are y'all ready for dinner?" she said, slapping her hands on her thighs and perking up. "We told Julie and Matt we'd meet them at eight."

They were meeting the two for a nice dinner out at Piccolo Sogno. It was an Italian restaurant that reminded Eric very much of the Italian place right outside of Dillon (which is partially why he suggested the place. He missed that Italian restaurant). They apparently had some vegetarian options for Julie and a decent kid's menu for Jimmy, and in the end, Julie deserved to be taken out for a nice, fancy meal.

"I'm gonna go wait in the lobby, guys," said Jimmy as he went over to the door, craning his neck as he touched the door key.

"Alright," said Tami. "We'll be down in a minute. Stay by the front desk."

"Does that ever bother you?" Eric asked when Jimmy closed the door. "Him sayin' 'guys' like that? Drives me _nuts_."

"He's not a thoroughbred Texan, honey," Tami answered gently, leaning over to kiss his cheek and then drape her arms around his shoulders. "He's a Northeasterner now."

"Hmm."

It was all so strange to Eric. He'd spent the better part of forty-one years living in Texas. They'd moved around a lot, sure, but it'd always been in Texas. Like he'd told Tami in his office back at East Dillon, all their family was in Texas; their entire _life_ was in Texas. Five years still didn't soften the blow and Eric still felt very much like an outsider sometimes, but the fact that his son had fit in perfectly fine made him feel oddly sad and defeated. He finally had the son he'd always wanted, but he wasn't even able to raise him up Texas proper.

To make matters worse, it was up in the air if Jimmy should even play football or not. After the Pee Wee season ended, Tami had talked to Eric all about how Jimmy felt stress and pressured and how it was possibly best not to have him play the sport Eric coached.

"He could play anything," Tami had told him, her legs intertwined with his in their bed that night. "Baseball, soccer, basketball –"

" _Not_ basketball," he had insisted, shuddering.

"Alright. How about baseball? You used to play baseball, didn't you?"

"When I was in _middle school."_ Eric's father made him play a spring sport to keep up his endurance and energy. A lot of kids played both football and baseball back in the early days, but when it came down to it, they had to pick one or the other. There was no double-dipping if you were at all serious, so to Eric, baseball wasn't as much a sport as a football training program.

"Maybe Jimmy would like it." Tami moved her hand to play with his hair. "Can we at least see what he thinks about it? I think his friend Ryan plays on the rec team. I could ask his mother about it."

"You don't need to go asking other kids' mothers. I can look into it myself."

"Okay, babe." Tami had kissed him. He knew she was satisfied. "That's all I'm lookin' for here."

"Hey," Tami whispered in his ear, nuzzling his neck with her nose as her lips brushed against his earlobe. It snapped him out of his thoughts. Her touch was so soft and her perfume was swirling all around him. It was the lilac stuff he liked. "Don't be so grumpy. I don't like grumpy Eric."

"You don't?" he smiled just then, feeling himself grow excited. Jimmy was waiting in the lobby, they were a few minutes ahead of schedule, Tami was situated so closely next to him…

"No, sugar." As though reading his mind, Tami let out a laugh and then jumped off the bed. "I'm not leaving our nine year-old son in the lobby while we fool around. Let's get goin'."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

 **Saturday, December 12, 2015**

"Are you sure you don't want to come home with us to Philadelphia?" Tami asked Julie as they strolled down a street of shops and boutiques. They were having their girl's day out while the boys had their own outing. Eric and Matt were taking Jimmy around some of the museums downtown, and if they had time, they'd take him to see the Cubs' stadium. Tami could only _imagine_ how Eric would feel about _that_ if it happened.

"I don't know, Mom." Julie was looking at the ground as they walked. "I told you that Matt and I have a flight to catch from O'Hare to Dillon Municipal on the twenty-third."

"You could fly back to Chicago before then. I'll pay for it, sweetheart."

"Really? Wouldn't it cost, like, $700 to book a flight a day or two before?"

"Well," said Tami, taking in a deep breath, "the truth is that I already booked you a ticket months ago and that you're all set."

Julie stopped walking to stare at her mother, her eyes wide. "You did?"

"Yes." It wasn't _that_ expensive. Only a couple hundred bucks, actually. Tami knew that was a pushy thing to do and that Julie hated it when she got so pushy, but she didn't know what else to do. She'd only seen her daughter for a few days at a time over the past few years, and she _needed_ her. She just wanted to be with her. Was that honestly so much to ask?

"I miss you, honey," Tami said, reaching out to grab Julie's hand. "I understand that Matt has to work and that he's trying very hard to get another type of gallery job, but _you_ don't have to work right now, so _you_ could come with us for another week or so."

"Really? Would _you_ leave Dad for a week to go off and do your own thing?"

"I would and I have." Back when they first got married and Tami was pregnant with Julie, Tami's mother had a stroke and Tami had to drive halfway down the state of Texas to go see her. Eric was in the middle of his first coaching season and couldn't pick up and go, so he'd stayed behind, calling her every day (at the expensive cost of long distance calling) while Tami stayed with her mother and sister for an entire two weeks.

"You're just saying that," Julie muttered, but her anger seemed to wane as she wiggled out of Tami's hand and started walking again.

"I'm not," said Tami, "and I'd really appreciate it if you'd come home with us."

"When's the flight?" Julie asked, pulling up the calendar app on her phone.

"We leave Chicago on Monday at ten in the morning and you'd arrive back on the night of the twenty-first."

"I'll think about it," said Julie, looking closely at her phone. "And talk to Matt about it."

"Okay," said Tami, and she smiled. She knew her daughter better than anyone on the face of the planet, and she knew that, in this case, Julie's "I'll think about it" meant "I'll do it."

She was getting her daughter back, even if only for a week, and life never felt as complete and whole as it did then.


End file.
